Immortal Technique Talks Return To Making Music & Advantages Of Being An NYC Artist

(AllHipHop News) It’s been a decade since Immortal Technique released a studio album. The rapper/activist recently spoke with AllHipHop to discuss new music and more.

“I was sitting on a bunch of songs, stuff that was from this era, stuff that I wrote a couple of years ago, and all of the themes of music kept resonating with what’s going on today,” said Immortal Technique. “I feel like that’s the difference between people who make timeless music and individuals who ambulance chase styles or trends or things like that.”

The 41-year-old Peru-born, New York-raised immigrant also talked about how growing up in NYC shaped him as an artist. His proximity to some of the culture’s leading pioneers impacted his early life.

“I feel like the direction, especially me as in New York emcee, it was very different for me. I had advantages other people didn’t have growing up. Like I would just run into all the superstars,” expressed Immortal Technique. “KRS-One did an impromptu concert at Grant Projects and talked to people afterward. Crazy Legs or Kool Herc would just be in Harlem all the time.”

While it has been a while since Felipe Coronel rhymed over a track, he continued to perform around the world. The creator of the forthcoming The Middle Passage album is headed back on a 34-date tour from October 17 to November 30.

“I never lost my love for it. I’ve been still touring those five years that I didn’t make any new music,” Immortal Technique explained. “I did like three or four guest appearances. I did five world tours, so I’ve always been a global act. I’ve done every continent except Antarctica.”

His return to making music was sparked by the passing of a relative. Coronel adds, “People have been harassing me, nagging me. But I’m gonna be honest with you. I really got motivated after my grandmother passed. That really put the battery in my back, somewhere around February or March.”